GroovBoard, An iPad Lap-Desk. With Grooves In It

Situation: You own and iPad and a perfectly good full-sized Bluetooth keyboard.

Problem: You don’t always want to use them together on a desk. After all, the whole point of the iPad is its portability, right?

Solution: a GroovBoard. Literally, a plank of wood with grooves in it.

My own solution to this problem was to take a tray, lop off one side and glue on a chopstick. It works great, and I still use it every day.

But the GroovBoard brings a few improvements over my own admittedly inspired hack. First, it’s small, which means it’s portable, and it’s also the perfect bed-top movie stand for the iPad.

The iPad can be slotted into either groove of this sturdy plank. The nearest has a shallower angle so you can type and tap the screen itself. The second is at the far edge and holds the iPad at the angle of a laptop screen,leaving space for your keyboard in front. There are also a pair of holes which will hold a stylus, to keep it ready to hand.

I like it, although I won’t be buying it. I get wrist pain if I type on a thick keyboard, which is one of the reasons I like the Apple aluminum keyboards so much. The GroovBoard is a little too fat for me.

I’m also loathe to spend upwards of $100 on a plank of wood which has been run over with a router. Sure, the tray I used to make my own desk wasn’t exactly well made to begin with, but it was just €35 or so, plus the free chopstick. And it still works as a great (if slightly flexible now it has one side chopped off) tea tray.

Want one? You can pick from a variety of dead tree species, including the handsome maple seen above. Available now.